Category Archives: Nobel Prize

“Fools names, like fools faces, are often seen in public places”Not me

“During an interview published on Friday by Israel HaYom, the Sheldon Adelson-backed Israeli daily, public intellectual and author Ayan Hirsi Ali claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for waging the ongoing military campaign by the IDF against Hamas militants in Gaza. Asked whom she admired, Ali — who once called Islam a “nihilistic cult of death” — included Netanyahu on a list featuring her husband, Harvard professor Niall Ferguson, as well as former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Princeton professor Bernard Lewis. Ali said she admired Netanyahu “[b]ecause he is under so much pressure, from so many sources, and yet he does what is best for the people of Israel, he does his duty.” “I really think he should get the Nobel Peace Prize,” Ali added. “In a fair world he would get it.”……………”

Someone had written on a ‘public place’ I once used: “Fools names, like fools faces, are often seen in public places”.

This lady’s claim to fame now is that she is “a critic of Islam”, as the media often mention. Some call her an “activist“, as in “actively self-serving“. More like an “active celebrity“, an older Kim Kardashian, feted by American media from right and left. Nominating Benyamin Netanyhau for a Nobel Prize was supposed to be another “bold” statement, but it was a slip she probably already regrets.

My Nordic source reports that the Nobel Committee has denied that U.S. Representatives Michele Bachmann (R-Minn) and Louie Louie Goh-mert (R-Texas) were ever officially nominated for the Peace Prize. There had been rumors that the two Republicans (Ya ne znayo nechevo) were put on the final short list after their stormy visit to Cairo. In Cairo, they managed the nearly impossible feat of extolling the virtues of free electoral democracy while praising the military coup that overthrew Egypt’s elected president. And they did it by having Michele Bachmann read her script at a slow kindergarten level for the Egyptian people, the sort done for ESL classes across the United States. As for Louie Louie Goh-mert, oh, well, nobody could ever figure out what the f—k he was about anyway. Louie Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) always reminds me of that good old song………..

“Former basketball star Dennis Rodman has received the Nobel Peace Prize for his unlikely and controversial role in promoting international relations with North Korea and “friend for life” dictator Kim Jong-un. The eccentric sports icon accepted the award via satellite during the ceremony in Norway’s capital, Oslo. The prize committee praised Rodman for working to end the simmering conflict between isolated North Korea, the United States and the world community through “basketball diplomacy.” “I accept this award on behalf of the North Korean people and my good friend, Kim Jong-un………………….”It is not so preposterous. Others have received it, including Yasser Arafat and a few others.Cheers
mhg

إذا كان رب البيت بالدف ضارباً، فشيمة أهل البيت كلهم الرقص

Speaking of the Nobel Prize in some of my recent posts: here is a new gem:

“A prominent Saudi Islamic scholar who was previously accused of plagiarism and famous for his best-selling book “Don’t Be Sad” (La Tahzan) has announced that he would reject the Nobel Peace Prize if it is offered to him. Sheikh Aaidh al-Qarni made his statement on Twitter after Saudi writer Ibrahim al-Majari wrote in a column on the daily Al-Sharq newspaper that the preacher deserves the prestigious award because he is “sympathetic to women’s rights” and because he stands against terrorism. “If those in charge of the Nobel Prize are unbiased Sheikh Aaidh would be the first winner,” Majari wrote in his article. The Sheikh, however, responded in a tweet saying: “I refuse the Nobel Peace Prize and hope the committee overseeing it will not put my name on the list, with many thanks to the writer from Al-Sharq, Ibrahim al-Majari.” Sheikh Aaidh is famous for his book “don’t be sad” (la Tahzan) which sold more than 10 million copies. But the prominent Sheikh, who has more than 2.5 million followers on Twitter, recently faced a credibility crisis after a fellow Saudi female writer and author accused him of plagiarizing her work in another book…………….” About plagiarism and stealing. There is that excellent Arab saying, I roughly and quickly translated above as:“If the master of the house plays the drum, than no wonder the rest of the household would take up dancing”After a PhD (from anywhere possible) and millions of Twitter followers, the new unattainable Gulf chic is: the Nobel Prize (nomination not actually winning). There was a time on the Gulf when all kinds of potentates and their retainers and plutocrats and clerics showed up almost every day with some kind of doctorate. Not sure how they got them since they rarely left town long enough to read a book. They are still at it, getting them online or from places as far as some offices overlooking Times Square or der Kärtnerstrasse or Place Pigalle, especially Pigalle, although Place de Clichy would do as well.Now the Nobel Prize is in vogue. I am beginning to suspect that every crackpot cleric, prince and shaikh and tribal chief in the Middle East has a website or Facebook account nominating him for some Nobel Prize (usually for Peace). I think there is a permanent site lobbying for Saudi King Abdullah; fine and dandy, but they ought to make it generic, just “Saudi King”: one never knows who will be king six months from now. I know one Gulf shaikh (and a major thief to boot, but what else is new) who has a website dedicated to “what great guy he is”: possibly set up by some minion of his. A prelude to a Nobel nomination for fleecing?

I was told by a Beirut (or was it Paris) source once that Foaud Saniora was thinking of nominating Saad Hariri (can one do that?), before he realized there is someone else who has priority, someone who has oil and pays the bills. I even know one Gulf academic from one tribe who nominated an academic from another tribe: I suspect with the goal of making himself look good and magnanimous and perhaps be considered for the Nobel Prize. I wish I knew how to nominate for the Nobel, I might nominate myself since I am mostly peaceful most of the time.

BTW: the princes give themselves a lot of prizes, usually within the family (i.e. incestuous). Prince X foundation awards Prince Y the kleptocracy award of the year. They, and possibly the rulers of Qatar, have probably offered to donate a lot of money to the Nobel Committee. Hint, hint. Cheers
mhg

“Many Saudis have started to cast votes on a website to nominate King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Website www.votefornobelprize.com has asked people from the Middle East and Africa (MEA) to nominate the person whom they think most deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, with King Abdullah currently receiving more than 100,000 votes, which is more than any other candidate. Five nominees have been chosen from different MEA countries: King Abdullah, Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Misned, Chairman of Qatar’s Board of Education, Science and Community Development and the wife of the Emir of Qatar; Dr. Albert Dagher, Professor of Economics at Lebanese University; Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of Qatar, and Majeda Al-Roumi, well-known Lebanese singer who has recorded many popular songs on the theme of peace. Many Saudis and non-Saudis have sent e-mails to their friends asking them to vote for King Abdullah, and a number of Internet forums have posted links and have invited people to vote for him…………….”

So most Saudis split their votes for the Nobel Prize between King Abdullah, a Lebanese singer, and the wife of the Emir of Qatar. Clearly they go for ‘looks’, or maybe entertainment, rather than knowledge and wisdom. Based on this I now believe that the Saudi people are absolutely not ready for democracy and probably will not be for another generation. Speaking of Shaikha Mozah: I believe this is the first and only time a banana, even a ripe one, was nominated for a Nobel Prize. If I had to choose among those three, I’d choose Majda Al Roumi: she has a great voice and is highly entertaining, besides looking good (which is why all these Saudi men voted for her rather than their king). Besides, Lebanon has not had a Nobel Prize winner yet and is unlikely to have one anytime soon (especially now that Hariri has emigrated to Riyadh, the Bulgarians are helping the Israelis deny Nasrallah the prize, and Jumblatt seems still stoned out of his head). I would have thought most Saudis would vote for the chubby shaikh (now self-appointed king) of Bahrain or maybe his ancient but nastier uncle Khalifa Bin Technocrat Al StickyFingers. But that is okay, some Europeans are nominating the next best thing in Bahrain: the Al-Khawaja family. (No, those Euros I mentioned are not David Cameron or William J Hague bin Yoda). As for the king of Arabia, nothing personal but I wouldn’t nominate him for a dogcatcher in Najran.Cheers
mhg

“From the 1950s to the fall of communism, Saudi Arabia was the steel wall against the spread of communism. In later months in 1975, I have read many books about the Nobel Peace Prize Committee and the mechanism of the nomination for the prize. And it has been mentioned many times that King Faisal was able to stop the spread of communism in the Middle East without the use of force. He used his influence and charisma to achieve this. King Faisal was the first political figure who predicted the fall of communism at the peak of the Cold War. And in September 1975, I sent a registered letter to the Nobel Prize Committee. I sent it from a post office located on East Tremont Avenue in the Bronx, New York. In the letter, I was asking if there were any other candidates for the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize besides Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho and I asked why the 1972 Nobel Peace Prize was blocked and was not awarded to any person or organization. I got no answer and I wasn’t expecting to be answered.
In 1976, one year after the death of King Faisal, a foundation was established in Saudi Arabia and was named King Faisal International Prize……………… And to this day, I always ask myself: Why the blocked 1972 Nobel Peace Prize wasn’t awarded to King Faisal for his efforts to stop the spread of communism……………” I would have liked to say that the Nobel Committee was antisemitic, that is why King Faisal was passed over, but that can’t be it.Can you believe this F—Kopf writing in the Saudi daily Arab News? And here Americans have the misconception that they are responsible for the defeat of communism. Republicans think Reagan did it single-handed, while John McCain believes his years at the Hanoi Hilton contributed. Not some too bit absolute monarch. I would think the late king should get the Nobel Prize for opposing the emancipation of slaves in his country in the 1960s, or was it for supporting it? Which reminds me, I have never seen the late king smile. They even have photos of Hitler smiling (although not Himmler). I am sure he had a sense of humor, the king not Himmler, but probably well-hidden. After all, he had to have some sense of humor: he was not even from Jordan or anything like that. Obviously the vengeful nephew who shot him had no sense of humor either.I suspect that maybe it runs in the family, at least among those who are sober.Cheers
mhg